All members of the Real Estate Council of BC are publicly appointed. The Council consists of up to 16 individuals appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. Both the Chair and Vice-Chair of Council are appointed to their positions by the Lieutenant Governor.

The appointment of Council members by government protects real estate consumers and safeguards the public interest, by ensuring that the Council benefits from a diversity of perspectives on regulatory and governance best practices, along with industry expertise.

Learn more about RECBC’s Council Members below.

Elain Duvall – ChairTerm ending: September 17, 2020

Elain Duvall brought her passion for improving communities to her career as a developer of non-profit and co-operative housing. She worked at Columbia Housing Advisory Association for 10 years. After several years working in the public sector in the Housing Centre at the City of Vancouver, she became a development manager for Progressive Homes Ltd., which specialized in developing and building non-profit housing. During this period, Elain also co-authored a report for the BC Government, which included recommendations for solving the affordable housing problems of the time.

Elain has extensive governance experience, including 12 years on the Vancity Credit Union Board, three of which she acted as Chair of the Board. She served as a Governor of the Real Estate Foundation for nine years as well as on other corporate boards. She continues her commitment to community by serving on several non-profit boards. She is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Robert Gialloreto – Vice ChairTerm ending: October 31, 2019

Rob Gialloreto is president and CEO of Consumer Protection BC, which promotes a fair marketplace for BC consumers and businesses. Prior to this role, he was the president and CEO of Tourism Victoria. Mr. Gialloreto has experience on a number of boards, including serving as a director on the Tourism Industry Association of Canada board of directors. He specializes in organizational leadership, business development, strategic media relations, marketing research, coaching/mentoring, financial management and public speaking.

Linda AllenTerm ending: July 13, 2019

Linda Allen, a Registered Professional Planner, is a co-founder and Principal of CitySpaces’ Consulting, a consultancy that specializes in land use planning, development consulting, project management, and stakeholder and public engagement. Before relocating to BC 30 years ago, Linda was a senior planner and project manager with the City of Ottawa. Previously, she was a policy researcher in the Executive Offices of Alberta Municipal Affairs. Linda has been active in professional and community organizations, taking on leadership positions within these groups.

Karen Ameyaw Term ending: October 31, 2019

Karen Ameyaw is currently Acting Senior Manager in Compliance (Legal Services) at WorkSafeBC. She has also been an associate lawyer at private law firms and an instructor of criminology at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. Karen is active in her community and served as the Vice Chair of the City of Vancouver Renters Advisory Committee. She is also involved with various organizations related to law, including the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers. She holds a law degree from the University of Victoria and an undergraduate degree in Criminology.

Yasin Amlani Term ending: October 31, 2019

Yasin Amlani is a corporate and real estate lawyer with over 18 years of experience. After serving as managing partner at a New Westminster law firm, Yasin moved on to his own law practice. He now practices corporate law part-time, while also advising as a business and legal consultant. Previously, Yasin worked as regional franchise coordinator for a national Canadian franchise as well as in-house consultant to a Fortune 500 financial services company. Yasin has Bachelor of Science and Law degrees from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He has held senior positions on volunteer boards, including as Honorary Secretary (Vice President) of the Ismaili Council for BC, and as a member on the Conciliation and Arbitration Board for BC. He currently serves as the Honorary Secretary (Vice Chair) of the Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for Canada.

Marianne Bond
Term ending: October 31, 2021

Marianne Bond has over 20 years of experience in organized real estate, as Executive Director of the Kootenay Real Estate Board (KREB) since 2010 and as a licensed REALTOR® in Nelson for 13 years. She has also served on KREB’s board as a director and as Vice President. Marianne was the Nelson & Area Economic Development Officer and was elected to Nelson City Council for three successive terms. She has also worked in the legal, accounting, education and communication fields and has served in many capacities on numerous boards and societies in her community and region.

Blaire Chisholm
Term ending: October 31, 2019

Blaire Chisholm is the Vice President of Brook Pooni Associates, an urban planning and communications firm. Blaire manages the Vancouver office and leads the planning team. Prior to joining Brook Pooni Associates in 2007, Blaire gained ten years of experience with non-governmental organizations, research and policy consultancies, and architectural and planning firms across Canada. Blaire holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from McGill University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental & Conservation Sciences from the University of Alberta. She volunteers for a number of non-governmental organizations, including the Urban Development Institute, Arts Umbrella and the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable. She is a Registered Professional Planner with the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Magdaline (Maggie) Chan
Term ending: October 31, 2021

Maggie Chan made her home here in Vancouver from Hong Kong in 1969. She has spent the majority of her working career in banking, legal work and real estate sales. Since 2015, she has been volunteering at the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation on the Asian Advisory Committee and has also been a gold sponsor at the Hospital Foundation. Maggie speaks three Chinese dialects and is fluent in the Chinese written language. Subjects of special interest to Maggie are affordable housing and refugee immigrants. She has completed the Immigration Practitioner Certificate program at the University of British Columbia.

Ruth Hanson
Term ending: October 31, 2021

Ruth Hanson is a managing broker for Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, overseeing the activities and sales of the agents and administration of four brokerage offices (North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Lions Bay and Whistler). Ruth has been a licensed member of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver since 1998. Her background includes providing training, facilitation, compliance and negotiations as well as management oversight of the establishment of a law practice. She has been involved in her community as a director or executive on numerous committees including Blueridge Neighbourhood Association and North Shore Restorative Justice.

Sandra Heath
Term ending: October 31, 2020

Sandra Heath is semi-retired as the President of HTD Inc., an international training and human resources consulting firm. Ms. Heath has held a variety of senior management positions in both the private and public sector. She chaired the Providence Health Care Board and served on the board of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority for seven years. Most recently she chaired the Board of Directors of the Portland Hotel Society. She has also served on the boards of community arts organizations.

Len Hrycan
Term ending: October 31, 2021

Len W. Hrycan retired from the City of Kamloops as the Director of Community and Corporate Affairs where he oversaw Fire & Bylaw services, RCMP operations, Legislative services and Council governance. During Mr. Hrycan’s 35-year career in the civil service he also managed Engineering, Planning, Development and Real Estate functions. As a key member of the senior administration, he was involved in the transformation of City operations, leading to the National Quality Institute’s Canada Award of Excellence (gold level). He is a graduate of Cariboo College.

Catherine Ludgate
Term ending: October 5, 2020

Catherine Ludgate is a senior manager of community investment at Vancity Credit Union, supporting partnerships dedicated to social justice and financial inclusion, including the Living Wage for Families Campaign and the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition. She holds a master’s degree in the management of co-ops and credit unions and serves on the Federal Advisory Committee on Poverty and the BC Poverty Advisory Forum, as well as the City of Vancouver’s Poverty Advisory Action Group. She is a sessional instructor at BCIT in the sustainable business leadership program.

Elana Mignosa
Term ending: October 31, 2020

Elana Mignosa was first appointed to Council in September 2015. Most recently, Ms. Mignosa was the Chief Financial Officer for British Columbia Clinical and Support Services. She was previously the Vice President of Finance (Imaging and Workflow Solutions) for McKesson Technology Solutions, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer for HealthCare Benefit Trust, and the Vice President of Trust Administration for the Alderwoods Group. Ms. Mignosa is a board member for Aunt Leah’s Place and past Treasurer for the Dunbar Community Centre Association.

Neal Nicholson
Term ending: July 13, 2019

Neal Nicholson spent nearly 50 years as a Chartered Accountant, and continues to serve his clients as a Consulting Accountant. He also serves as the treasurer of several organizations including the Coquitlam Heritage Society, the Evergreen Cultural Centre, the Rivershed Society of BC and the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame. Mr. Nicholson has previously served as Chair of the Douglas College Board, President of the Advanced Education Council of BC and as a Community Member on the Association of Canadian Community College Board for the BC and Yukon Region. He is a former Coquitlam City Council member.

Sukhmander (Sukh) Sidhu
Term ending: October 31, 2019

Sukh Sidhu is a real estate agent with RE/MAX Little Oak Realty. Previously, Mr. Sidhu was a real estate agent with Block Brothers Realty. Active in his community, Mr. Sidhu serves as a Director with the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, a board on which he served as president from 2011-12. He is also a past President of the Indo-Canadian Business Association in Abbotsford. Mr. Sidhu continues to serve on the Abbotsford Police Board. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Guru Nanak College and a Master of Arts in Political Science from Khalsa College in India.

Michael (Mike) Walker
Term ending: October 5, 2020

Mike Walker advises clients in the not-for-profit sector on strategic issues, corporate governance and commercial transactions. He has extensive experience with non-profit and social purpose real estate development in both publicly funded and non-funded environments. Mike also has an active commercial real estate practice, dealing with residential, commercial and resort developments, land acquisition and financing, zoning and land use, and regulatory issues. He is a past board member of the BC Housing Management Commission.